


The Best Kind of Torture

by Beem0b0t



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 11:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4664451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beem0b0t/pseuds/Beem0b0t
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love is the worst and best kind of torture, and every second is worth the pain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Kind of Torture

"Garnet…?" The tall gem was perched atop the last protruding hand from the temple statue, watching the stars. She looked down to where the whimper came from and saw Steven, tears in his eyes and clutching his stomach. Garnet shuddered from seeing his face, still not used to what happened just the other night. It was rough for everyone. She jumped down from the finger she sat on and reached to ruffle his hair. Steven in turn, however, flinched and stepped back. Silence permeated the air as he stared at the stone. "What's wrong, Steven? Are you still hurt?" Steven slowly shook his head. The sound of waves washing ashore was the only sound that dared break the quiet. Garnet had had about enough of the silence. "I think you should head back to be-" "Garnet." Steven interrupted. She opened her mouth, but closed it again, patiently waiting for him to finish his thought. "This is gonna be a long night." She thought.

The amount of time and the sheer gravity of the silence were starting to get to her and she leaned against one of the curled fingers. Steven kept his hand over his gem and fidgeted with his toes. Sweat beaded up on his forehead and rolled down his nose. He usually wasn't so reserved about his thoughts. Garnet would try to force it out of him somehow. "Look, Steven. We weren't ready for her. She was far more powerful than any of us could have imagined, not to mention the fact that we were tired and caught off guard from dealing with Jasper and Peridot's little stunt. We were overpowered and outmatched. We're just LUCKY that they chose right in the end and we're lucky that you're back." She knelt down and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He tensed up and closed his eyes, shivering as though it were freezing outside. Truth be told, he was wearing his regular attire and it was a midsummer night in Beach City. "I know it's a weird feeling at first, but this means a lot. Not only for you, but for us. You can regenerate! This is incredible news!"

She couldn't help but feel like her words were doing more harm than good. She sighed and started, "I don't know what you need to hear from me." She placed her forehead on his and tears of her own began to form. "We were so scared. We were so scared that we'd lost you all over again. That we'd done something wrong. That we couldn't protect you…" Steven pushed Garnet off of his head softly, but firmly, and looked into her eyes. "That's the thing. None of us could have done anything. We were outmatched and lucky that she got bubbled at all. It's my own fault. I thought we were strong enough, but I can see we've still got too much to learn in the short amount of time we have. Stevonnie just wasn't strong enough." He grabbed his stomach again and Garnet stood up to wipe away her tears.

"Garnet?" Steven began. He paused as Garnet turned to look through the spaces between the fingers. "Garnet, how's Connie? I-i know she didn't get hit, but-" He stopped himself and groaned. Garnet climbed on top of the finger again and stared out at the stars. Steven plodded over to sit between fingers under Garnet. "I just… Ever since yesterday…" He stopped again. Garnet made note of how he grabbed his stomach and smiled wistfully. "I'm worried. She didn't need to be there for that. She shouldn't have been there for that. I'm worried about how she's doing." Garnet took a deep breath. The clean crisp night air washed over the two of them, leaving behind a calm respite. "She's holding up stronger than any of us did. She was the one who kept us calm, to be honest. Told us you'd be back soon, like we usually are, and look. She was right." Her smile faded and was replaced by a pensive look. "It's weird, though. After you went down I couldn't use my vision at all. Everything went black for the first time in… forever." Steven frowned. "Do you… do you think she'll come back?" Garnet near laughed, "What? Of course she will, Steven! It's near impossible to keep you two away from each other! You're drawn together. To be honest you kind of remind me of two people I know."

Steven picked up on the hint and his stomach started to feel even tighter. He gulped and reformed, "Garnet. Ruby and Sapphire are in love, right?" Garnet didn't hesitate with her answer, "Deeply." "What's love... like?" Garnet smiled, "Never thought I'd need to take a page out of Greg's book. There's a first for everything I guess." "Oh," She began, "It's torture." Steven gulped again and looked up at her. She was smiling wide, like she'd just told a joke. "Does… does your stomach hurt? Like… does it feel weird, at all?" Garnet waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, all the time." Steven looked down at the beach. "Does it hurt the most when you're apart?" He felt a hand on his head and looked up to see she was now behind him, her gaze still trained on the sky. "More than you know, but I'm sure you're figuring it out." Steven looked at the sky as well. "Do you think-" "You're in love." She finished. "The best kind of torture."

A breeze picked up, as if nature was trying to fill each silence. Steven sighed and let his hand drop to his side. The waves sighed solemnly against the sand, changing the patterns of the grain and shells that were previously encased. The moon shown down on the pair like the universe's spotlight. The silence wasn't bad, not anymore, but this time it was short lived. "I saw her." Steven near whispered. Garnet snapped out of her reverie and looked down at the younger gem. "Saw who?" She was confused. He was in his gem, who could he have seen? "You know. Her. I saw-" He stopped as Garnet's mouth became slack. "Yeah. Her." He turned his head to face the ocean again. Garnet was at a loss for words. She couldn't even bring herself to make AUDIBLE sounds.

"She told me, when I found her, that she could see through my eyes, but couldn't act through my body. She said it felt like a dream. So when I retreated into my gem she woke up and panicked. She felt so relieved when I found her that she started crying. We hugged and she told me that she was proud of me. That I'd done an amazing job as her son and that she didn't want me to return. She said she never wanted me to feel the pain that I've felt again, and then she started crying. I guess her tears are magical even in my- our gem, because that was when I started to regenerate." Steven felt something wet pat him lightly on the crown of his head. He looked up and saw small tears running down Garnet's cheeks as she looked out at the ocean. "Garnet? Are you okay? I can stop if you want?" She wiped her cheeks and took off her glasses. Each of her three watery tears showed no trace of sadness. "No, no I'm fine Steven. You should really head back to sleep now. You've had quite a long day and a lot on your mind. For now you should focus on getting some rest."

With that, she picked Steven up and WALKED him down to the temple, ambling slowly along, until they were at his bed. By the time she reached his room, Steven had already started to nod and lapse into sleep. Garnet placed the young gem into his bed and pulled a blanket over him, softly rubbing his head and guiding him into slumber. She sighed and stayed at the edge of his bed, rubbing her head, "Oh Rose. What have we gotten ourselves into now? We're on the verge of a whole new war, and what chance do we stand at that without an army? We barely stood a chance the first time. I'm worried, Rose, and I have no way of talking to you." "Garnet." She turned suddenly at the sound of her name and saw Steven, eyes still closed, speaking softly, "Whatever happens, whatever goes right or wrong, I will always be here to help you. No matter what. I'm always here, to help guide you through the hardships you face. Have faith, Garnet."

As Steven's voice trailed off, Garnet stood abruptly and backed down the stairs. In an almost robotic fashion, she stiffly crumpled to her knees and placed her hands on either side of her head. The temple door opened and Pearl, who was talking with Amethyst about the likelihood of another invasion, saw her and rushed to her side. "GARNET! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? WHAT HAPPENED!?" She cried with horror. Amethyst soon followed suit and looked around, searching for a possible assailant. "Who did this!? Are there other Homeworld gems already!?" Garnet simply shook her head and replied, "I-i heard her." Pearl and Amethyst blanched and looked up to Steven's room. The sound of SNORING filled the beach house in an almost soothing manner. "You mean…" Pearl began, but couldn't finish. The words she wanted to speak were lost on her. Garnet nodded slowly and bit her lip, before standing up. "I think Steven's earned this rest, more than any other he's had before. I think," She took off her glasses and flopped down onto the couch. "we all need a rest." Pearl and Amethyst sat down wearily beside her. "What do you think is going to happen?" Asked Amethyst. "What do you know is going to happen?" Corrected Pearl. Garnet merely shook her head and leaned back into the couch. "I don't know."


End file.
